Man charged for role in stolen identity refund fraud scheme

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 23-year-old Jacksonville man was arrested on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, theft of government money and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday.

If convicted, Dreshawn Royell Mays faces 12 years’ imprisonment and could be ordered to pay restitution of at least $67,859 to the Internal Revenue Service.

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Earlier this week, Mays was ordered detained pending trial. He was indicted on May 26.

Charmaine Bates, 42 of Jacksonville, also was indicted on May 26, and she has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and aggravated identity theft. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28 in Jacksonville. 

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation’s North Florida Financial Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.